darkest before the dawn
by Amaya Ryuu
Summary: What would have happened if another Wammy house member worked with L, and what if she had a secret that could save him?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

The old man led me gently, yet with a sense of secrecy and urgency. He was like a father to me, a father I never had. I followed him up the grey monotonous stairs of the apartment block, stopping at a steel door.

"K, this will be your room for the time being, until we join the task force anyway", he smiled, creases spreading from his aged eyes. It was reassuring, in a way, how even though so much time had passed he still smiled at me like I still lived…there.

I grasped the door handle, and slowly made my way into my new accommodation. I chuckled to myself, _they still like the expensive stuff don't they. _The obviously 5 star suite was a palace compared to my small 2 roomed flat in that god forsaken council estate, with stabbings and rapes a weekly occurrence in the neighbourhood. A cold chill trickled down my spine. I would never go back there. Never.

I collapsed on the sofa nearest to me, eagerly snuggling into the comfortable cushions, of which I had been deprived of for so long.

"I'll leave a phone here, I trust I don't need to remind you to delete any messages received, am I correct?"

"Yes", my throat was still dry and husky after that long flight.

"Well, I'd better leave you to get some sleep. Goodnight, K"

"Goodnight, Watari"

I slowly opened my eyes the next morning, hit by my usual buffer of drowsiness. A crack in the curtains made a beam of sunlight glare right into my eyes. I groaned a series of unintelligible noises as I made my way to the bathroom. I felt instantly rejuvenated as the hot water cleared my head completely. I hated being dirty, it made my concentration decrease considerably, and I was going to need all my wits about me for today.

The phone rang from the desk next to the bed, forcing me out of my trance. I heaved myself up and ran to the phone. I picked it up, wondering what the problem could be. Watari never rang unless it was urgent.

"K, I've just been told you haven't been informed who will be also helping in the task force."

"What are you talking about Watari? I know I'm working with the police."

"Yes, but there is someone else too. I apologise but I thought that you knew."

"Watari, just tell me please"


	2. Preparation

I submerged my head under the water, furious. How could Watari have done this to me? I wanted to feel part of something, to solve the Kira case. I had not flown from England just to be…nothing compared to him. Remembering the need to breathe, I pulled my head up out of the water, gasping. How long had I been under? Reluctantly I clambered out of the bath, and wrapped myself loosely in a soft towel.

As I drifted past, I stopped as I caught my reflection in the mirror. I suppose the years of near poverty had granted me my childhood wish of loosing weight, though my face was gaunt; dark brown lank hair in need of a cut hung limply over my face draping down to just above my waist.

I didn't care for appearance, I had a job to do, well, that's what I told myself, in reality it was because I couldn't afford decent clothes or make-up. However, this wasn't just anyone I was meeting. I found a black dress in the wardrobe that had been stocked for my arrival. A sudden craving for sugar hit me, and I realised I hadn't eaten in two days. I rummaged around in the kitchen and found a packet of instant ramen noodles to subside the hunger pains. I repeated to myself that I was more mature than this. I had less than an hour to prepare myself before I was to be picked up by Watari, and taken to meet him.


	3. Arrival

I knocked on the door, wishing I'd been able to get more sleep the previous night. It would make a great first impression.

"Come in, I've been expecting you" a soft voice called from behind the door. I gulped and entered the suite.

He was different to the others. Whilst they all wore smart suits, he was dressed in baggy jeans and a white top, both obviously too big for him. On anyone else it would give the impression that they were completely unprofessional, but, with him it just showed he cared more about solving a case than what he looked like. I couldn't explain how I knew this instantly, I just did.

I couldn't bring myself to stare into his eyes. A vibe radiated off him that made me look away.

Although I had avoided studying his face, he wasn't doing the same to me, and I was forced to meet his gaze. His eyes were dark, a brownish grey, wide and with large black bags underneath- _Jesus, how much sleep does this guy get - _that seemed intensify his stare.His face and hands were pale and very thin, nosferatu-like, as though he had not seen the sun for a long time. Sitting in a crouched posture and with his thumb resting on his lip, he looked like an overgrown child, yet had an obvious intellect far greater than my own.

He said three words and I knew I was completely insignificant. "I am L." This was the man Watari held in such high respect, the world's greatest detective (second and third too thanks to various aliases), and the one whose past test scores I could never beat at the orphanage. I could only look with my mouth agape, unable to stutter a word. Realising what an idiot I looked, I hurriedly pulled my jaw up in an attempt to look professional.

"It's an honour to finally meet you, L. I hope we will be able to work together to solve this case. From now on, please call me Kaida. I'm sure you can understand why."

He nodded, "And please address me as Ryuzaki"

"I need to inspect all the information you currently have on Kira, as I'm afraid I have been left in the dark for a lot of details. I've been living in a flat without TV or any other form of media so I'm completely ignorant of the situation, apart from the brief I received from Watari.

"Of course, I have already printed out our progress so far in anticipation of your arrival". A thick folder of sheets was placed in my hands as he walked past me to an empty chair. The frustration I had felt the previous night crept back into me, I couldn't stay here for long.

"I think I should return to my hotel now, I'm quite tired and won't be any help to anyone like this." This wasn't a total lie, I was exhausted.

"Maybe that would be best, although you will be living with me for the time being, didn't Watari tell you? It will make communication safer and much easier."

I froze, he was joking wasn't he, although I already knew he wasn't. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this, Ryuzaki. I have a lot of personal space."

"It is necessary, and your room is more than big enough" he replied shortly, obviously irritated at my childish attitude. Composing myself, I submitted and received directions to my new bedroom.

His gaze followed me until I closed the door behind me, my hand trembling.


	4. The task force

**Slightly longer chapter now **

**All reviews will be appreciated**

**L's pov nearer the end of this chapter**

**Sorry about the wait, I've just started college so I don't really have time to write very often **

**Reviews appreciated **

I awoke on silk pillows. This was the life. I heaved myself out of bed and went in search of caffeine. I found some instant coffee without much trouble and flipped the switch on the kettle. A gurgle in my stomach reminded me how hungry I was. Quickly I made myself some toast smothered in jam, my cravings for sweet food striking again, and munched on it happily.

"Good morning, Kaida-san. I hope you slept well." A voice from behind me murmured, making me almost drop my plate in surprise.

"Jesus, Ryuzaki you scared the life out of me there!" I clutched my heart in mock terror. He smiled briefly with tired eyes; I doubted that he'd slept at all last night.

His tone became more serious. "A few police are coming to meet me today. I have had no choice but to show them my face, otherwise a bond of trust will be impossible."

"Right, although didn't you say Kira was in the police or connected to them? This could be exactly what Kira wants!" A wave of apprehension swept over me, but then I remembered L was the world's best detective for a reason, he wouldn't risk his life unless it would prove something and he was fairly confident of his safety. Then a though hit me.

"Kira needs a name too doesn't he?"

"Very good, that is the conclusion I had reached too." He paused, looking at me intently. "Kaida-san, I would prefer you not to meet the task force at this point. Please can you stay in your room when they visit?"

"Can you please tell me why? Am I part of this case or am I just getting in the way?" I whispered venomously. I wasn't going to be shunted to the side without a fight.

He seemed confused at my reaction. "You are going to be helping me; I just don't want to put you in unnecessary danger. I will place bugs and cameras in the room so you can see what is happening and maybe spot something I couldn't from where I will be sitting."

Reluctantly I agreed and jumped onto the nearest sofa, hugging my knees. It's a habit I had developed as a child due to a number of insecurities. Looking over at L, I wondered if it was just us, or all orphans from the Wammy house who pick up habits that most would class as abnormal.

There was a knock on the front door, and I could hear the nervous shuffling of the police behind it.

"Please, Kaida-san, help me," he whispered to me, his forehead wrinkled with concern. Sighing deeply, I accepted defeat and trudged into my room, where I discovered several laptops, each with a different viewpoint of the room. Choosing the one nearest to me, I sat on the end of the bed, and awaited the task force who had earned L's trust to the extent he would show his face.

They stood in a tight group in the doorway, as though afraid of the skinny man standing before them. None of them even tried to hide their surprise at discovering who L was. L looked unfazed as usual, scratching his head whilst playing with his toes. "At least try any look professional" I murmured under my breath. It would be annoying if none of the police took him seriously, or suspect him of being a fake.

"I am L" He said, snapping the police out of their fixated stance. They each introduced themselves, trying to regain their mature attitude, rather than gawking like children. I suppose L, no Ryuzaki, was at least more composed than most men…

"Bang!" Ryuzaki mimicked shooting a gun at the group. _What the fuck are you doing?!_ I screamed in my head. Is he trying to get them to walk out without even hearing what he has to say? The youngest of the police, Matsuda, rushed forwards, but was held back by his colleagues. I buried my face in my palm; this was going to be a long night.

***

After the meeting, I had to admit I was impressed at how Ryuzaki recovered the situation, allowing the task force to leave with hope and full confidence in him once more. Despite this, it was annoying that I couldn't find any helpful clues in anyone's behaviour, but at the same time it was a relief to know that I could trust everyone there. I walked out into the hallway and through into the living room, where Ryuzaki greeted me with a brief nod.

"Any luck?" He queried, giving me his full attention now. I sighed and shook my head. "Nope, I reckon that's a good thing though." Pausing to sit on the sofa opposite him, I continued, "I guess all that's left is to look deeper into the people the FBI were investigating. By the way, it would probably be best if you didn't mimic shooting police officers." He stared at the floor defiantly, "I was only proving a point, Kaida-san, don't make the mistake of assuming me to be childish all the time, I can assure you I'm not."

"I have it recorded that you said you were childish and hated to lose, Ryuzaki-san."

"Ah, but that was in a different context", he spoke calmly but it was obvious I'd won.

"Whatever, anyway, I'm going out to buy some food, you need anything?" He shook his head, all attention now on his Mac in front of him. Several windows were on the screen, each one in a different language. I looked to the window he was focused on

"That looks like French, can you speak it fluently?" I remembered that languages was a weak spot for me, I could only master English and Japanese, and that was only because I had lived in both countries for several years.

"Oui, Je peux parler une vingtaine de langues. Et toi?" He turned to stare at me intently with large grey eyes.

"Erm, Oui…je…m'appelle Kaida." Heat began to radiate from my cheeks as my incompetence became apparent. I muttered a hasty goodbye and walked briskly out of the suite in search of some fresh air and some healthy food.

_L didn't know what to make of his new partner. She was different to people he normally worked with; she was bright, and yet she was optimistic and, although he hated to use the word, normal. He shook his head, she wasn't normal. Normal means average, nothing special. She had an intellect almost rivalling his own, yet she was so unconfident in her ability she had yet to unlock her potential. _

_Deciding to think no more of it, L turned back to what he was here to do, catch Kira. He was already annoyed with himself for not realising to give the FBI agents fake IDs, then this situation could have been avoided and he'd still have the upper hand. Still, his biggest obstacle in the near future was to convince the task force to turn on each other to investigate the families the FBI agents were tracking. For some reason unknown to him, people always seemed to become angry if he mentioned putting surveillance in the houses of suspects. L firmly believed personal feelings shouldn't be involved in solving cases; it caused people's judgement to become irrational and reckless._

_Flicking quickly through the pile of suspect files he had on the desk, he paused on the son of Sochiro Yagami, Light. Judging from his test scores, he was highly intelligent, and with a policeman for a father, a strong sense of justice. He chewed his thumb thoughtfully, but decided to wait for more evidence before he looked deeper into Yagami's background. With the chief as a father, L knew he wouldn't allow his son to be investigated unless there was a definite reason to._

_The door opened suddenly. "Ryuzaki, I'm back! I bought some flowers to decorate the place a bit, don't worry, they're only going in my room, and I bought some real food too, so I'll be cooking tonight" Kaida's rant was cut short as she saw the file he was holding. "Who the hell is that? He looks like a Japanese Zac Effron! Eurgh!" she wrinkled her nose in disgust. L pretended he knew what she was talking about and replied, "That is Light Yagami, I was just browsing through the files and he seemed suspicious to me" _

_Kaida's brow crinkled in concentration. "Yes, I agree, but you're going to need more than a hunch to convince Sochiro to suspect him." She relaxed, and resumed her usual bubbly smile, "Well, make sure you're finished soon, we're having ramen tonight!" Deciding not to tell her how much he hated normal food, L simply smiled and closed the Mac down. There was no need to deliberately annoy her, and something told him they'd be working together a lot in the future… _

Steam whistled around the kitchen as I attempted to cook edible food. It wasn't going well. I thought I'd try and make noodles from scratch, and regretted this decision as I gave a glare to the pile of burnt doughy mess stuck to the pan. I sighed, I had just wanted to make a good impression and make nice food. Then an idea struck me, I couldn't recall L ever eating savoury food. Grinning to myself, I tipped the abomination into the bin and got to work on a new recipe.

I walked into the dining room where Ryuzaki was perched on a chair. His vacant eyes snapped into focus as he saw me approaching, and gave the hidden dish in my hands a cautious stare.

"I thought ramen was served in bowls" He said nervously, probably conjuring an image of my previous attempt at ramen under the foil.

"Well, I thought I'd make something else tonight. I wasn't in the mood for savoury food," I smirked as he raised his eyebrows, "So I made a fruit cocktail and some home-made ice cream! Ta-Dah!" I unveiled the desert and placed a bowl in front of him. "Bon appetit mon ami." Ryuzaki stared at the food in front of him, and tentatively took a small spoonful and widened his eyes.

"Kaida…I think we're going to get on very well" He smiled at me and continued to eat.


	5. Surveillance

**Surveillance **

_Running down the alley, the distant hum of the city was getting fainter as I ran further. All was silent now, except for the footsteps behind me, never changing speed, knowing its victim was powerless to escape. The walls loomed above, caging me in. I can't breathe. _

_I run down another alley, tears making my vision unfocused so that all I see are menacing shadows. I call for help, someone. Anyone! All that responds is steady thump of shoes hitting pavement, and the screech of an alley cat. I turn my head to see where the figure is. At the end of the street, but has stopped. I don't have time to wonder why as I collide with something solid. Dead end. I feel a hand grab my shoulder roughly…_

"Kaida-san, wake up", I open my eyes to see L bent over me, a blank expression on his face.

"Sorry Ryuzaki, I was having a bad dream" I shuddered, pulling the covers up to my chin, trying to forget the nightmare.

"Yes, that was apparent. I don't wish to be rude but I only get a couple of hours sleep per night, and you have disrupted it," he said with a cold undertone. I gave a sheepish look and he shuffled out of my room. Luckily, I had my duvet covering my legs, or L would have raised some awkward questions.

I hurriedly got dressed and sat in front of the mirror to quickly sort out my bed-hair. As I brushed it into a loose ponytail, I noticed a tiny red dot on the corner of the wooden framed mirror. Curious, I inspected it closer, realising it was a tiny camera, L has been spying on me. Furious, I crushed it in my palm, and then marched out into the living room, to find the thin man drinking a cup of coffee. I grabbed it off him and slammed it on the desk, covering his white t-shirt in the brown liquid. Instead of erupting in a rage, as a normal person would have done, he simply stared at me for a couple of seconds, then said, "Kaida-san, I was enjoying that coffee, please give me a rational explanation for soaking me with it."

"RATIONAL EXPLANATION?!" I yelled, "You've hidden fucking cameras in my room, watching me undress and you're wondering my I'm pissed off? You're a fucking pervert and I want to move back to my own crappy little flat." I slapped him sharply on the face and spun around to go back to my room and pack, when he grabbed my wrist tightly, forcing me to stay.

"Kaida, I can assure you that wasn't my intention" he said, at the same time stopping my hand lash out for a second slap. "I put that camera in there to make sure that you were safe, there are cameras in every room. It's for your own protection. And also…" He pushed me to the floor, "I am not under the illusion that women are the weaker gender, and therefore feel no guilt in hitting one. If you hit me, I'll hit back. An eye for an eye is my motto." He shrugged then walked off into the kitchen, probably to make a fresh cup of coffee, leaving me slumped on the floor, silent in shock.

He came back in and crouched beside me. "Kaida-san, I'm sorry if I hurt you, but please don't over react like that in future." He hesitated then offered a hand to help me up. I took it whilst fixing him with a glare. He gazed awkwardly at the floor.

"So, are you leaving or not?"

"…No. I'm sorry too, Ryuzaki, but can you please take the camera out of my room?"

"I am unable to comply with that request, but I suppose I could angle them so there is a blind spot for you to get changed in."

"I guess that will have to do", I sighed. I had been in reality for so long I'd forgotten how different this world was, and how different the people were in it.


End file.
